Prison officer surprised he was fired after zapping children with 50,000-volt stun gun
Prison officer Walter Schmidt zapped visiting children with a 50,000-volt stun gun to give them a taste of life in a Florida jail. Two of the kids were knocked screaming to the floor with burns on their arms. One child went to the hospital.
"It wasn't intended to be malicious, but educational," said Schmidt. "The big shock came when I got fired."
Prison officer zaps children with 50,000-volt stun gun "to show them what a day at work is like" (Via Arbroath)
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What? I don't know why I'm commenting because I have nothing intelligent to add... just needed to say "WHAT?" and "WHY?"
...What?
*facepalm*
Okay, take a deep breathe. We should consider this a learning experience. From here on out, on the psych evaluations given to police officers to qualify for the job, there should be this question.
Q. Is it a good idea to taze kids as part of a scared straight kind of lesson? Yes or No? Please explain your answer.
According the article, he asked and received permission from the parents of the children... The guard should not be fired, the parents should be put in jail. The guard should get a promotion for attempting to put an end to a defective genetic line.
Wow, first thought this was a link to the oinion.
just goes to show how harmless law enforcement personnel perceive these devices to be. hes lucky they weren't further injured.
"Okay everyone, let's give little Johnny a big hand... Now, while the medics roll him out of here, let's move on the interactive Shower Time in the Big House exhibit I set up..."
once upon a time in Japan - not so long ago - they had to take steps to re-train and reeducate their prison guards after an inmate died from having a fire hose burst his colon and large intestine.
The guards were actually genuinely surprised that their conduct was deemed inappropriate and even wrong.
Of the few people I've met who make their living by guarding other people, the only one that was human was responsible for looking after the clinically insane killers. All the others were specimens I would never allow near children or turn my back on.
FIRED? Does that mean he doesn't got to jail for that? If yes, that would be the true scandal.
"The big shock came when I got fired."
Now that's funny. I'm sad I missed it the first time.
Another gem of idiocy from the daily fail...
#9,500,498 in our continuing series, "Reasons Not To Ever Live, Speak To People From, or Visit Florida."
Really.... Really?
No really...?
I still find it disappointing there is not a "Child" setting for stun guns.
That's the real crime.
Cops who believe that being tasered is perfectly fine should have to take a taste of it themselves before weildling it. For crying out loud...would he have shot the kids with a pellet gun? I mean, those aren't "lethal", either, right?
All I have to say is "well, DUH!"
Sheesh!
Y'see, it's all part of Florida's new "stunned straight" program.
Is this an onion article?
Wow.
"Black guard horrified that the queen ordered his execution after demonstrating on her grandson that guns are less fatal than sword wounds."
Actually, he was fired because he used the device TWICE, regulations require that for demonstrations the children must all hold hands and he zaps the one on the end (gotta conserve energy, don't ya know.)
It gets better. Apparently he asked for their parents' (his coworkers) permission.
How does that conversation go?
"Hey, you work in a prison, you know what the effects of stun guns are. Can I try it on your kid?"
"Sure thing, buddy."
Mellowknees: all law enforcement personnel who get issued tasers are required to experience being tasered. I don't know if that makes the problem better (man, I should be careful with this taser, I know it hurts like a mofo) or worse (man, I can taser anyone I want.. if I can take it, so can this thug).
I suppose it depends on the sociopathic tendencies of the people in question. Thank god local standards require a fairly intense psych screening, or things would be a lot more frightening than they already are. (Note: do not mistake me for someone who thinks the psych screening catches all the bad apples, but it can't hurt.)
If I taze my kids, that's pretty much guaranteed jail time.
And yet this guard gets off with purely administrative punishment -- and that only after media exposure.
Unethical and unaccountable police that is effectively above the law: another sign that America has devolved into a third-world nation.
training tasering is a joke. It's done just to give cops legal ammunition for their own misuse of tasers. "Oh yeah yer Honor, I done been tasered mahself an it din't hurt me t'all!" They do it on a soft mat, with help to catch you, one jolt, with preparation, medical supervision and the sure knowledge that they will stop and no one is really trying to hurt you. To say nothing of how your mental state is calm and untroubled. When they torture people in the real world it's malicious, ugly and uncontrolled.
You know... there was a psychological study done back in the 70's, that suggested that people who become prison guards are likely to turn into total asses in very short order. Wonder if becoming a cop has the same effect?
"Sgt Schmidt... claims that he had asked permission from the children's parents for the stunt. 'When they said "Sure" I went ahead and did it,' he shrugged.""
I think the parents who okayed this should also have a visit from Child Protective Services.
In his defense, It's not like he used a lot of amps.
(I'm sure there is a resistance joke in here somewhere.)
Great! This goes into my "Is it Florida or is it Germany" file.
Dehumanizing prisoners also dehumanizes us.
The amount of people in prison in this country (USA) is bad for our society. We have to do something about it. I don't know what can be done but the problem isn't just for those we imprison.
-Carrie
What a relief that some still believe in a robust hands-on learning mentality.
I own a 300,000 volt stun gun (not a taser) - just to chase my kids around with and to scare my co-workers. You can get them for around 40-50 bucks and as a gadget lover, I had to have one. I've shocked myself with it many times just to show folks that they don't actually knock you to the floor and incapacitate you like on TV. Basically, they just hurt like hell - I can't take more than about a second. Of course I've never shocked anyone else with it - only a moron would do something like that, especially on a kid. The guy's firing was definitely appropriate, I think assault charges should be added also.
I would like to knee-cap him. "It wouldn't be intended as malicious, but educational," What a dick-head. Is this guy so ignorant that he's never seen or heard of any of the deaths that have resulted in inappropriate stun-gun or taser attacks? And to assault an innocent child. Lock him up!
I don't really see a problem with it if the kids wanted to experience it as well. If he forced it upon children that didn't want to take part, then I can understand him being punished. If everything was voluntary though, I really don't see what the big deal is.
I never understood the reasoning behind placing the blame at the highest possible level in the chain of command. If something is obviously horribly wrong, every person in the chain has a responsibility to try to stop it.
Of course, that's probably why my boss hates me.
@ Thrishmal #29:
If everything was voluntary though, I really don't see what the big deal is.
We don't give minors the same rights as legal adults because they lack the judgment and experience to make informed decisions. A six-year-old could "volunteer" to join the military, but that doesn't mean any responsible adult should let him.
Besides, the kids looked to the officer in question for guidance before volunteering. I'm sure the kids assumed that if it was unsafe, the officer wouldn't have suggested it in the first place.
@ ivan256 #30:
The highest possible level in this chain of command would have been the police commissioner, who presumably still has his or her job. Instead, the brunt of the blame for this incident was placed on the officer who was entrusted with the stun gun. Those things are for protecting public safety in dangerous situations, not for playing zap-a-brat.
I imagine the sign where the stun guns are stored has a new rule.
#1. The first rule to using stun guns, there aren't any stun guns.
#2. Always ask perp. if he has a heart condition before stun gun use - if yes, only shock on extremities.
#3. Ask perp if he has any friends or family working for the media. If so, keep stun guns hidden from view.
#4. Ask perp. if he has a pacemaker. If so, use stun gun on opposite side of body.
#5. Stun gun will no longer be used for cooking hot dogs.
#6. Do not hit perp. with stun gun, that's what your maglight is for.
#7. Sparky end always points to perp.
#8. Do not touch sparky parts while pressing the button.
#9. Do not keep stun gun in front pants pocket.
#10. If while using stun gun and you smell an odor like something's cooking, check to see if perp. is on fire.
#11. Do Not Shock Visiting Children!
@#33 Tom Hale, that is THE funniest list I've read all day. Good job.
@JINGLEFRITZ
I'm sure there is a resistance joke in here somewhere
Perhaps...
"Stop resisting! Stop resisting!"
Considering Florida is the place they beat a 14-year-old kid to death at one of those boot camps and sentenced a 12-year-old to life in prison, this does not surprise me in the least.
There are so many facepalm moments in this story, it's hard to focus on just one, but one aspect I haven't seen in the comments here is that it wasn't a Scared Straight situation. It was frickin' "Take Your Kids to Work Day!"
He zapped at least 2 kids, possibly more. One after the other. After the first one is sent sprawling to the floor, did the other's run away from him and he had to chase them down? Or did they just stood there waiting for their turn?
With all the stories we see on BoingBoing about malicious police, it's nice to see one about an officer who's simply incompetent.
would he have shot the kids with a pellet gun?
You mean, a plastic pellet gun? Because I shoot kids and kids shoot me with those all the time, and it's no big deal.
Major whaddafark here. I would be the six year old volunteering to get tased first, doubtless. Thank FSM when I went to visit a prison there was no tasing.
And also, the part that nobody else seems to have mentioned-
What the hell is with field trips to prison? Is this a Southern thing? Who else remembers a field trip to a prison? (And on further review, IE, actually RTFA- this was take our S&D to work day.)
So... Am I the only one who remembers visiting a prison as a part of a (presumably school or church, as those were the only things I was involved in at that age) penitentiary as a child? Because I do. And I am disturbed.
The guard got just fired, not prosecuted? I rest my case.
If the only thing you have is a hammer... everything starts looking like a nail.